Highlights: October 20 – 26

Ed Templeton’s Wayward Cognitions

To most Ed Templeton is first and foremost a professional skateboarder. Some might know that he is designer, manager and owner of Toy Machine the skateboard company. Few people know that Ed Templeton is also an exceptionally gifted contemporary artist. As an artist Templeton’s practice lies in painting, graphic design and photography. His works have been exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo; he was featured in various art publications; and released several books of his photography. His latest photography book release is titled Wayward Cognitions.

Fake Art

Stories of great art forgers, just as stories of the greatest of artists, might have an almost romantic appeal to wide audiences. Remember Wolfgang Beltracchi, a German prodigy, who is considered to greatest art forger of our time, ‘perhaps of all times’, by some. A documentary was released earlier this year describing Beltracchi’s conman adventure, unveiling the frightful truths such as him being the most exhibited living artist in the world! Still, many a viewer had fallen victim to the Cologne art forger’s charming aloofness, not feeling sorry at all for the rich who paid millions for counterfeit artwork. The stories of art forgers and fake art appearances are frequent and many, including the recent scandal involving a Chinese painter Pei Shen Qian and a couple of Spanish gallerists, or the one in which a pastor, no less, had been dealing fake Damien Hirst in between sermons. Knowing that Basquiat’s sisters have sued Christies for false claim alleged Basquiat works had been verified by the Basquiat Estate, or that nine art collectors sued Keith Haring Foundation because of its claims their art was not original, a prospective or a long-time collector cannot but feel worried, wondering – have I ever been, or will I ever be, conned?

Contemporary Masters of Visual Art

This time we take a look at some of the most prominent, highly influential artists, painters, photographers and sculptors, who challenged preconceptions and pushed the limits of visual art, shaping the art world of our time. Following is the list of ten highly praised and widely recognized contemporary masters of visual art, that took the art world by storm as they invented new styles, employed innovative techniques and created astonishing works, leaving a huge mark in the history of art that will be recognized for centuries to come. All of them are exceptional artists whose works serve as models for what great art should be, and represent a great inspiration for generations of artists that follow them.

Arrest, Birds of a Feather and Pierced Eardrum

He has definitely become part of the global popular culture. Apart from this, there are professionals who claim he will become a significant part of art history textbooks. Finally, the art market is showing that there are buyers for Banksy’s artwork, although the pieces from the New York residency haven’t been selling well (read more in No Sale for Banksy’s New York Pieces). Be that as it may, it is certain that Banksy has already cemented his place in the history of street art. However, after the New York residence, we have been reading and talking a lot about the future of Banksy’s endeavors (read our engaging article on this topic, titled Dusk Over Banksy). As soon as one might think to oneself that Banksy is nowhere to be found, the artist emerges. So, here we are, at it again – talking about Banksy. We are asking ourselves what is the meaning of the new artwork and vandalism pointed at it, about an article which stirred the digital community and, yet again, some old questions…

Mural Roundup

Some of our favorite artists have been very busy in the last seven days. They’ve traveled all around the world and adorned walls of France, UK, Poland and USA. French street art superstar C215 finished an amazing mural in his home country, Nychos after doing a wonderful piece in his home country stopped by Sao Paolo, Brazil to paint another one, while wonderful Alice Pasquini did a stunning homage to Italian poet Alfonso Gatto. Also in Paris, French artist Levalet did a piece entitled “15 minutes of fame” that in a best possible way shows his both artistic and humorous side, and in Miami the Italian artist Ozmo did another hyper-realistic large-scale mural of image of the statue of Liberty and Michelangelo’s sculpture of David. Check out our gallery and find your personal favorite. Enjoy!